Melt
by L.Pilz
Summary: A chance encounter in the Land of Iron brings a dose of nostalgia to two ninja borne of Mist. Implied Kisame Hoshigaki x Mei Terumi. One-shot.


**A/N:** Have I mentioned that I love crack? One day I saw a drawing of Kisame and Mei as kids and inspiration struck. And as I wrote this, I realized that this ship is _much_ less cracky and far-fetched than Kisa x Saku. They're both from Mist, they're pretty much the same generation (Kisame is in his early thirties and Mei is apparently over 30 also, WHICH MEANS THEY COULD HAVE WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER HOMG PEOPLE) Needless to say, I could actually see this being canon, HAH! Dreams- I have them.

This one takes place some time after the Kage summit and meanwhile Kisame is searching for Killer Bee, so it has _slight_ spoilers if you haven't gotten that far.

Anyway, enjoy this little one-shot which may one day spur a full-on fic. No lemons or _actual_ romance, for those of you looking for porn :c

* * *

You go your way and I'll go my way  
No words can save us, this lifestyle made us

Run along like I'm supposed to, be the man I ought to  
... I hope someday that we will meet again

- Kasabian - _Goodbye Kiss_

* * *

She hated the snow. If there was anywhere she could choose to be at the moment, it would definitely, without a doubt _not_ be the middle of nowhere in the Land of Iron. It was no wonder Ao gave her such a suspecting look when she said she needed to go for a walk- he knew her sentiments on the freezing white stuff pretty well.

Mei stopped in her tracks, the snow incessantly falling, blurring the landscape in a fluffy white haze. She hugged herself and shivered as she cursed for the thousandth time in the past hour. As strong as her feelings were towards the weather, her curiosity was even stronger.

"Stupid curiosity," Mei sighed, looking around.

Said curiosity was directed towards a strange chakra she felt earlier when she, Ao and Chojuro were traveling towards the Kage Summit headquarters. And it wasn't so much the strangeness of the chakra that fuelled the need to seek it out, but it was a certain... familiarity which she couldn't brush off nor pinpoint either. Now that the Kages had all met and agreed on a Shinobi Alliance, they had settled down into rooms in the main village to wait for the snowstorm to pass.

"Cozy, _warm_ rooms with blankets and hot showers," Mei said woefully, her teeth chattering.

But no, she just had to find the source of the chakra, and she knew it was out here somewhere. She turned around and noticed that she couldn't see the samurai village anymore. There was no use going back now, she thought, so she trudged on in search of her unknown target.

It didn't take long before the red-haired woman felt that familiar tug again; the chakra. She squinted as she scanned the bleak horizon line, feeling more than seeing.

_There_. Towards a distant tree line to her left- that's where she could feel the presence most strongly. Without a moment of hesitation, Mei leapt towards the snow-covered forest.

Icy cold air traveled through her airways, making her chest constrict in pain. But she didn't falter because the further in she went, the stronger the chakra presence was. Covered in a thin layer of snow she continued, gradually slowing down and trying to be discreet lest she come face to face with bad news. But as she became more cautious, the chakra she sought out also seemed to wane. It was ... _disappearing_?

_'What the hell...'_ she wondered inwardly, slowly pressing her back against a tree as she tried to pinpoint her target more accurately. Closing her eyes, Mei tried not to let her teeth chatter as she focused her senses all towards one goal.

And then it struck her. Like an overwhelming tsunami, out of nowhere the chakra manifested itself and her bright green eyes flared open in shock. She was about to launch molten lava at the unknown being, but what met her eyes stilled her in her tracks. An enormous, bandaged entity was pointed directly at her face and behind it...

_Oh._

Oh_ god._

If the face didn't give it away, that nasal, sardonic laugh sure did.

"And here I was expecting those pathetic, untrained wimps you call Mist hunter-nin," he said with a wide grin.

Mei's small, pink-painted lips hung agape as she stared at the man before her- no other than Mist's own shark export Hoshigaki Kisame. She blinked slowly, taking his appearance in. Of all the people or things she had expected- it was no wonder that chakra felt familiar.

And speaking of which...

"I wouldn't try that, Hoshigaki," she warned, quickly snapping out of her shock and flashing her gaze towards the sword pointed at her face- and the chakra it was unabashedly siphoning from her. Kisame smirked and slowly lowered his weapon.

"Precaution," he stated, eyeing the woman up and down. It was her alright, and _damn_, it had been a while.

Mei smirked, flicking some snow off her shoulder as she straightened.

"You're lucky I'm not in the mood to fight," she said, now fluffing out her hair.

"Oh? Too bad, this blast from the past has got me feeling a little nostalgic."

She quirked her brow at him. Flirty. Sarcastic. Sly. He hadn't changed much except for the Akatsuki garb he donned now. She eyes the red clouds with disdain.

"I haven't forgotten your betrayal towards Mist, nor the fact that you're working for the enemy now."

"But that's not why you're here, Terumi," he concluded, his eyes mesmerized by long feminine fingers combing through white-flecked auburn hair. She grew it out, he noticed absently.

"No, I'm here because someone forgot one fundamental rule in Shinobi 101- always mask your chakra, especially in enemy territory," she said with a coy smile, trying to ignore the way her chest tightened after he said her name.

Kisame shrugged and chuckled, holstering his sword onto his back once more.

"Looks like my carelessness brought me some company," he said, clearing some snow with his foot and sitting down against a tree. He couldn't recall a time when a slip-up yielded him such gratifying results, and he would savor this for all it was worth.

Mei followed suit and sat against a tree in front of the man, eyeing him warily- if only for show. She took a brief moment to scan the vicinity. It seemed Kisame was alone, with nothing but his sword as company.

_'Maybe he hasn't gotten around to finding a new partner yet,'_ she thought, at the same time wondering what exactly he was doing out here. She didn't want to know- it would likely just make her realize how bad of an idea this whole thing was.

Kisame fished around for something in his coat, and eventually drew out a small flask. He tipped the silver container towards the woman.

"Always a gentleman," Mei stated, taking the offer against her better judgement. Whatever. It had been so long, and she needed something to warm her chilled body and ease the guilt she felt.

"You've changed," Kisame said as he watched her pop the cap open and take the flask to her lips. He wondered if he would be able to taste her there after. _Like old times_. She tipped her head back taking a swig and licked her lips, squinting as the liquid burned a fiery path down her throat.

"So have you," she said hoarsely, offering the alcohol back. Grey-blue fingers brushed over hers as he retrieved it, "since when did your tastes change to whiskey?"

Kisame grunted, eyeing the woman as he paused mid-drink, "Larger problems require stronger alcohol."

The woman laughed mirthfully, forgetting for a moment the angry chill around them.

_'I can relate...'_ she thought inwardly wondering how this talk of war was affecting him. She didn't like where that thought was heading, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Things at home are better now," she said after a while, "It's different than before."

"Heh, no kidding. Can't imagine what it's like with _you_ as Mizukage now," he said, extending his arm towards her with the flask in hand.

She was only half-surprised that he knew about it.

"I'm not how I used to be. I take being Kage very seriously."

"I can see that," he said with a grin, his black-rimmed eye glinting mischievously.

Clearly, sneaking off and sharing a drink with a defected Mist-ninja-slash-Akatsuki-member, did not qualify as very responsible, Kage-like behavior.

"How do you know I'm not going to kill you and bring you back to Mist myself?" she mused, taking another swig of the drink in emphasis.

Kisame crossed his arms in amusement.

"Because some things haven't changed," he said, eyes following the auburn layers of her hair from her face down to the snowy ground.

The woman's cheeks flushed pink slightly, unsure of whether from Kisame's unabashed stare or from the alcohol.

"Well," she said clearing her throat and returning the drink, "I will give you that- you're right. We may be on opposite sides now, but I can never just forget the past. You should've stayed, Kisame," she said, her tone suddenly solemn. Mei stopped there, kicking herself inwardly for talking so much.

Kisame paused for a few seconds, wondering what prompted her to say it like that. He wanted to reach out and touch her. How long had it been anyway, since the departure from his hometown? And the others? He didn't know, and didn't really care, but some things...

"The Mist is just a pit of bad memories for me now," he said, closing his eyes as his mind flashed him images which betrayed his words. Images of red hair in blue hands, of lava crashing against water, of stolen glances and late night conversations.

No, she hadn't changed much.

Mei sighed, knowing full well what Kisame meant about bad memories and wished that somehow things had turned out different.

She then got up, brushing the snow off of her dress, and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well!" she said, hoping to shatter that air of melancholia which manifested around them.

Now that her cursed curiosity had been satisfied, she could head back to warmth and safety and forget that any of this happened.

"What an unexpected turn of events. Thanks for the drink, Hoshigaki. I hope if we see each other again, it won't be from opposing sides on the battlefield."

_'Which is probably exactly what will happen,'_ she thought sadly.

Kisame swished the liquor in his mouth thoughtfully balancing the flask on his knee with one finger as he contemplated something.

"Anyways, take care of yourself," she finished hastily, preparing to set her course back towards the samurai village.

"Wait. Don't go yet, Terumi."

She looked down at the man, a flood of memories washing over her, the comforting air of nostalgic reverie taking over and pleading for her to listen to him. It just felt so _nice_, to have him here- a reminder of a past almost forgotten. Everyone from then- to Mei's knowledge, anyway- was gone, except for this man. Their old squadron, the generation of prodigies with their dreams, aspirations and goals- all dispersed into fragments of memory now for those who remained.

_'Don't go yet, Terumi.'_

_Three men and one woman sat at a bar, weary after returning from a long mission. Weary, but in good spirits and in good company. They drank, and joked, and shared stories as the hours passed and patrons left. After some time, the sole woman rose; she liked a good drink, but she liked a warm bed even more. _

_'Time for me to go guys. Shichirou, you cover my tab. And Mizutaro, don't let Kisame drink too much, we have to be up early tomorrow.'_

_"Aw, don't do this to me Mei-chan, you know I don't have money," Shichirou complained._

_The woman smirked, and rolled her aching shoulder. _

_"Sort it out amongst yourselves then, I'll see you guys in the morning."_

_The blue-skinned man turned towards the red-head and gave her a look._

_"Don't go yet, Terumi. It's still early."_

_"I'm tired, shark."_

_"I'll pick up your tab if you have another sake."_

_Mei rolled her eyes at the adamant man. But that sharp-toothed grin was enough to get her to return back to her barstool and stick around for a while longer. If anyone could convince her, it was Kisame. Oh well, she would regret it in the morning._

The Mizukage opened her eyes, returning to present time from her reminiscing. As she looked down at Kisame's seated form, she imagined him in his grey flak vest, katana in hand, and Mist symbol displayed proudly on his forehead. She could feel a small sting of tears in her eyes, but blinked them away quickly. Kisame observed her intently, waiting.

"Not this time, Kisame," she said softly.

The fact was, they were no longer young jounin fighting under the same symbol. The slashed-out forehead protector on the man's head glared at her, punctuating the truth. Time had passed, things had changed, and she had responsibilities to adhere to.

Responsibilities which included disposing of Akatsuki members on sight. But for now, she would play pretend.

The man rose from his seat, the cloth of his coat shifting around him uncomfortably stiff from the snow.

"Well then, _Mizukage-sama_, I suppose I'll see you around. Hopefully not though, I'm sure that lava of yours burns much worse when you get serious. Not that you could ever beat me of course, but I'm sure the Mist made you their leader for more than just your looks."

Mei had a hand on her hip, shaking her head at the smirking man. As much as he teased her, there was a serious undertone there. If she knew Kisame at all, she knew how loyal he was. And that loyalty was now directed towards Madara, the very enemy she was just recently prompted to go up against. So if it ever came down to it-

No, she didn't want to think about that now. She didn't want an answer which would make her regret the outcome of this unexpected meeting.

They stood, facing one another but neither ready to leave yet. His coat front was open, flapping in the wind and she wanted to walk up and close it. She was looking for reasons.

And he wanted to taste those pink lips; not a faint trace from cold steel, but the real thing. Warm, and soft. Kisame's feet moved on their own, walking a few paces forward until he was just inches from the tiny woman. She almost looked fearful, but he knew otherwise.

His hand reached out, tracing a line with his thumb as he gently swept aside the hair covering her right eye. The woman's knees almost gave way, her entire body heating up from the small gesture. Memories which took years to suppress surfaced once more as she memorized the path his hands would trace with exact precision. _'You look better this way,'_ he would say. And she would bat his hand away in embarrassment, smiling and playing it off cool as his words and touch made a squirming mess of her insides. But that was then, and now she just stood frozen in place as she looked into his pearly eyes. He stared intensely at her, causing her face to flush pink. Mei shuddered.

The thumb brushing over her chin now left her face, and she watched his hand return to his side with great regret.

Kisame broke contact, realizing what a mistake he was making. After all, he had vowed long ago to forget about the Mist and everything therein.

"Nice seeing you again, red," he said finally, and pivoted on his foot, ready to leave.

Mei knew that deep voice would haunt her for the coming days. She wanted to stop him, to tell him to continue, to relive the past just _once_ more... but...

They were no longer young. She touched her still-warm cheek and watched him go. Black against stark white. She watched his form retreat into the snowy haze, imagining it to be fog instead. How it would have been, had she been there the day he left. Had he taken the time to see her one last time.

Perhaps one day their paths would cross again, she wasn't sure. But one thing was for certain, he was never any good at goodbyes.

* * *

**A/N:** I kind of intentionally left their past relationship sort of mysterious, and I'd like to know what people thought of that. I wasn't planning on posting this since it's so short, and I haven't finished Coercion yet, but I'd like feedback nonetheless. Thanks for reading! And Coercion fans can expect an update soon :)


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